A quick change of textiles is the fastest way to brighten up your home for spring and summer. Just swap out the rich dark colours of cosy nesting season for light and lively prints in clear pastels. I like this selection of coodinating prints, new at IKEA, for the clarity of the colours — these cushions and drapes are printed in pale pastels, yes, but there’s nothing of the baby about the bold nature-inspired prints in clear tones of rose and soft sage green on a crisp white ground.

This beautifully retro Prisma Stripe in Moss Green is the signature design for Bemz’s new Metropolis collection of slipcovers designed to breathe a whole new life into your old IKEA furniture — or to give your personal touch to out-of-the-box new IKEA.

Warm, luminous gold tones and cool, winter hues of blue and green are paired with earth neutral colours to evoke memories of classic Scandinavian design during the 1950/60´s.

“Metropolis lets you add warm, stimulating colors that sooth emotions and satisfy our craving for warmth and security,” says Bemz founder Lesley Pennington. “Of course, we don’t all have the luxury of curling up and hibernating the winter away, so you can inject some cool colors in those rooms where you want to project a tranquil tone to focus your thoughts. Meanwhile, our beautiful Zinc Grey, fabulous Sybary-Espresso and textured Sprezzatura in Old Gold/Brown are just the ticket for a cozy look.”

I’ve written about Bemz before, I know, but it bears repeating — how iconic can frugal home fashion get? Start with IKEA and update it with stylish (and washable) custom slipcovers. These guys even do slipcovers to fit most models of IKEA chairs and sofas, and even some of IKEA’s more popular discontinued styles.

Technorati Tags: IKEA, furniture, slipcovers

When I first wrote about this, a year ago, Canadians with sad old IKEA were out of luck… but times have changed, and now Bemz is delivering its made-for-IKEA slipcovers to Canada as well as the United States and Europe!

Do an IKEA Do-Over

Keep the cool Scandinavian mood, but move it one knotch upscale with fresh new fabric on that old IKEA upholstered furniture.

Now it’s possible to update a tired old “student digs” IKEA decor with a specially made slipcover in a range of fab upholstery options.

The entire line of Bemz slipcovers is machine washable and designed especially for IKEA furniture — even sofas that IKEA has discontinued.

Mixing and matching is encouraged, and Bemz offers several collections of patterns and colors, thematically grouped to cater to specific environments or personal styles.

• The Modernist Collection: a tribute to the 50s, featuring clean lines and designs mixed with old fashioned “woven” textures.
• The Antiquity Collection: an updated interpretation of old masterpieces. It’s romantic and whimsical with an old-fashioned feeling.
• The Classic Collection: simple, pure colors and design in styles that will survive trends and seasons
• The Downtown Collection: an urban look for the city dweller in your soul. A modern, fresh interpretation of stripes and floral patterns.
• And, recently introduced, Bemz offers one-of-a-kind patterns created by the famous Swedish designer, Stig Lindberg.

I am particularly attracted to the “New Baroque” black and white pattern in a linen-cotton blend, fabric design by Katarina Wiklund… oh, heck, just give me the entire Modern Romantic collection!

Try before you buy

The website lets you preview your fabric selection on any of the IKEA sofas or armchairs, and Bemz will also send out free swatches of any of their fabrics.

Bemz currently sells to a number of countries within the European Union plus Norway, Switzerland and — now — to the United States but unfortunately the slipcovers are not yet available for shipment to Canada and now to Canada, too.

Technorati tags: home decor, IKEA, slipcovers